The report of the Strategic Director of Health and Wellbeing(Document “V”) provides information on:

·         Provide an update on commissioning and contracting activity undertaken in the final year of the 2019-21 Commissioning Strategy

·         Set-out our commissioning intentions for 2022/23.

·         Set-out our plans for developing a new 5-year strategy

Recommended –

That the committee note the report.

(Jane Wood / Holly Watson - 07970 273682)

The report of the Strategic Director of Health and Wellbeing (Document “V”) provided information on:

• Provide an update on commissioning and contracting activity undertaken in the final year of the 2019-21 Commissioning Strategy;
• Set-out our commissioning intentions for 2022/23; and,
• Set-out our plans for developing a new 5-year strategy.

The Chair invited the representatives of the Commissioning Team to present the report. It was explained that preceding the latter, in January 2021, the committee was updated on the Department’s progress in delivering to the Commissioning Strategy and Intentions for 2019 to 2021 in the five key commissioning priorities of:

·         Increasing early help & prevention services/offers

·         Developing further approaches to support personalisation, choice and control

·         Redesigning and recommissioning a range of statutory accommodation and support services

·         Reviewing and developing contract and quality management and financial administration services arrangements

·         Undertaking effective market shaping and facilitation and ensuring a sustainable and vibrant market

Since the latter, the Health & Wellbeing Department (the Department) commissioned a wide range of Adult Social Care services for people across the district. This was achieved through an on-going programme of commissioning, procurement, contracting and quality assurance activity. This work was aligned to the key priorities of the Department’s 3-year plan and the overall ambitions for Bradford residents to be happy, healthy and at home and for Bradford to be a place where people had choice about their health and wellbeing. To achieve this, the Commissioning Team’s aim was to work collaboratively with providers, other partners and the wider community to understand the population of the district, continue to develop the local market in Bradford, and how best to support people to be as independent as possible.

A question and answer session ensued:

·         How was it possible for the implementation of new processes that led to forecasting just over £2.2m of recovered income for 21/22; this being nearly £1.2m more than the budget income target?

o   This was owed to optimisation of transformational change over a longer period of times. Due to working with systems over a number of years the service had learned to streamline arrangements and communication levels. Systems had evolved to meet the needs of present day demand for services, including more outsourcing of services; and,

·         Explanation was sought on Individual Service Funds (Direct Payments)?

o   An Individual Service Fund (ISF) was one way of managing a personal budget, where someone who needed care and support (and/or their family, advocate or carer) chose an organisation to manage the budget on their behalf and worked with them to plan care and support services and activities that would help them to achieve their identified outcomes. The budget could come from social care, health or the individual, and could be based on their eligible needs. ISFs gave people the choice and control over their support, without having to manage the money themselves. This was a middle option between direct payments, which had high levels of choice and control plus high levels of responsibility, and local authority managed services, which could have low levels of choice and control and where responsibility lies with the council.

The committee stated that amongst commissioning and contract activity it was important to undertake improve quality assessments to support an ongoing strategic system partnership role. The establishing of some form of quality checking provision was essential for better service delivery and resolving any issues that could possibly arise. It was further paramount that everyone was working with similar system for the purpose of swift quality service deliveries.

In response to the sentiments echoed by the committee, it was explained that the current contract expired on 01/04/2023. Over the course of the year, the service would work with colleagues in Public Health and the NHS to review the service, including the new pilot of carers assessments, and identify future commissioning options to ensure on-going high quality support for carers across the District.

The Chair thanked the officers for the detailed report and for their attendance.

Resolved: -

That the report be noted and the Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing be requested to provide a further report in 2023.

Action: Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing